Democrats Urge GOP to Stop Wasting Time on Political Games, Focus on Job Creation

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

This week marked the beginning of the second session of the 112th Congress and an opportunity for Republicans to change course and focus on job creation. I was disappointed that, instead, Republicans started off the year with a pointless political exercise. Rather than taking up legislation to help create jobs, Republicans staged a show vote that rejected an increase in the debt limit – but it didn’t do anything to actually bring down the deficit. It only served to create the very uncertainty for businesses, markets, and families that Republicans claim to oppose. This bill has no chance of becoming law and was a waste of time when we should be focused on putting more Americans back to work.

Instead of wasting time and taxpayer dollars on political show votes, we should be taking action on jobs and the deficit. Throughout this year, Democrats will continue to focus on our Make It In America plan – a plan to create jobs by creating an encouraging environment for businesses to innovate and make products here in the U.S. Since Republicans have still not put forward a comprehensive jobs plan of their own, we will continue to push them to work with us on this plan, which is based on bipartisan proposals. We are also focused on finding a big, bold and balanced solution to address our deficit in a meaningful way. We hope Republicans will abandon their ideological stance and work with us to create jobs and reduce the deficit.

In the coming weeks, we must take action on a full year extension of middle class tax cuts, unemployment assistance, and the Medicare physician pay rate. With just over a month until these provisions expire, we do not have time for the political games House Republicans played in December, when they put those items at risk. We hope Republicans will stop walking away from the American people and work with us on an extension of these critical provisions so that we can give families and businesses the certainty they need.

Sincerely yours,

STENY H. HOYER

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On Tuesday, The House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business and recess immediately. The House will reconvene at approximately 10:45 a.m. for the purpose of receiving, in a Joint Meeting of Congress, His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.